The forced stay-at-home culture ushered by the pandemic has led to the rise of utilitarian approach towards dressing where people choose to dress up in casual and comfortable clothing while they run errands or simply work from home. This is also because festivals and occasions have taken a backseat or are increasingly being postponed.

The global health crisis brought tectonic change to each and every aspect of our lives, right from the way we live, the manner in which we work to the things we shop. And dressing has been no exception. The pandemic-induced lockdowns propelled us for being cooped up inside our homes, which automatically made us fonder of comfy and cosier clothes. We have started choosing them even as the pandemic heads out. Does this mean our consumption of clothing has changed forever? Has the time for hedonic apparel ended? And has the utilitarian approach towards dressing taken the forefront? Well, it certainly seems so!

Has COVID-19 brought in the utilitarian approach?

It has been written in the pages of history that every prime event of the past, be it pandemics, recessions, or wars, has always brought a major shift in the way we dress. This clearly hints at the recent outbreak of COVID-19, which has also transformed our dressing sense.

We are seeing casualisation and utilitarian approach taking the front seat, which means that our outfits have become more functional, comfortable, and casual than ever. But can you hold COVID accountable for this particular change? No! It’s because casual is something that we have been seeing for ages. We moved away from formal wear to having comfortable casual Fridays, and gradually to smart casuals on ‘all days.’

Needless to say, working from home amidst the pandemic will, of course, have an impact on the way we dress because we now lack occasions for which we used to dress up. Weddings, concerts, and other gatherings, everything has been postponed, if not canceled. All of it naturally influence how we dress, what we shop for, and how we shop for it.

But whether you look at sustainability, athleisure, or even casualisation for that matter, we have been spotting all these trends before the pandemic took the world by storm. Thus, they have been amplified over the course of the crisis, and we are just seeing an acceleration of the trends that were already underway.

Trends in the near future

There have been many reports making rounds that the future of the working model is going to be hybrid, which means incorporating a mixture of in-office and remote working in an employee’s schedule. Approximately, for two to three days, depending on organisation to organisation, people are typically going to be working from home and will spend the other days in the office premises. Amid this, we may spot some volatile behaviour of people, which means they will be seen putting on their glad rags and looking their best on the days when out and being much more functional and cocooned when home.

However, what is going to transform is that the new variant of glamour (outwear) will now come with a degree of comfort. People are gradually realising that fashion that is comfortable, turns out appealing, and at the same time feel good is the need of the hour, given the lives that we’ve been leading.

The eponymous factor has been gaining prominence because people have become more conscious. The pandemic has given them the time to reflect upon their choices and look into their wardrobes. Ever since last year, they have been realising that they need far fewer ‘glitz and glam outfits’ if they don’t have the occasions to wear them on. Hopefully, when the pandemic ends, we may go back to buying more, but with a utilitarian approach in mind.

What makes the utilitarian style a trend is how well you mix and match your fancy skirt with your nightwear top to create a visual statement. For instance, pairing up your hoodies with blazers, and sweatpants with silky tops. These two styles being at odds with each other is what makes utilitarian fashion fascinating. Attires are all set to become an extension of our homes, offering comfort, reliability, and elegance.

Summing up

The utilitarian approach may look confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it and experience its magic, there’s no going back. It’s your time to experiment, so create the ability to mix and match various outfits to create the perfect style that suits you. After all, as they say, “if you have a good dressing sense, your wardrobe will be utilitarian.”